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Tokina has officially announced the Opera 50mm F1.4 FF lens for Canon EF and Nikon F mounts that was leaked last week. The lens—part of Tokina’s new ‘Opera’ series designed for ‘high-spec full-frame DSLR cameras’—will arrive on store shelves in Summer of 2018, and a prototype is being shown off this week at CP+ in Japan.
This lens, and the Opera series in general, are being billed as Tokina’s ‘premium’ line—sort of like the Sigma Art series. In fact, Tokina goes out of its way to connect the term Opera with ‘Art’ in its press release. But marketing word choice aside, Tokina promises that Opera branded lenses will be “designed to perfectly match recent high-spec full-frame DSLR cameras, which keep requiring high quality optics.”
The Opera 50mm F1.4 FF is the first in this lineup, and already Tokina has put more tech into the lens than you’re probably used to from the third-party manufacturer. The lens boasts a ring-shaped ultrasonic AF motor, weather sealing to protect internals from dust and moisture, an electric diaphragm mechanism for the Nikon version (a first for Tokina), and a focus ring that turns the same direction as your native Nikon and Canon glass.
Unfortunately, Tokina hasn’t revealed one of the most important details yet: price. But with the official release scheduled for summer 2018, it won’t be long before we find out if (or by how much) Tokina has undercut Nikon and Canon’s 50mm F1.4 options.
Press Release
Kenko Tokina Co., LTD. is Proud to Announce the New Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 FF, a Premium Full-Frame Lens for High-End DSLR Cameras
February 28, 2018
About opera series
With the debut of opera 50mm F1.4 FF we are launching a new series of next generation premium full-frame lenses for high-end DSLR cameras called “opera” series.
Opera series is designed to perfectly match recent high-spec full-frame DSLR cameras, which keep requiring high quality optics to be used with. In addition to originally high-valued Tokina AT-X series, this new opera series is positioned as top premium series of full-frame size lenses and will be further expanded with other lenses of related specifications and performance.
In modern society the word “opera” is commonly used to express general genres of stage art. In Italian it means work or work of art. As an omitted art genre definition opera comes from “opera musicale” that means a piece of music work. In Latin opera comes from “opus” and in contemporary language “magnum opus”, “opera magna” still has a meaning of “great literary, artistic or intellectual work”. We chose the name “opera” for a new premium full-frame DSLR lens series thinking of a lens that will help photographer in creating real “work of art”.
About the product
The debuting premium full-frame lens for high-end DSLR cameras in opera series is 50mm F1.4 FF (FF – Full-Frame). Designed for full-frame format DSLR cameras, opera 50mm F1.4 FF adopts a ring-shaped ultrasonic motor for autofocus drive module. Weather sealing prevents from dust and moisture to come inside the lens body. For the first time in Tokina line up Nikon mount model incorporates an electric diaphragm mechanism. The direction of the focus ring rotation fits the genuine Nikon and Canon lens.
Mounts: Nikon F, Canon EF
Sensor size: full frame format
About sales release
Sales release: summer 2018
A prototype of Tokina opera 50mm F1.4 FF will be displayed at CP+2018 Kenko Tokina booth location: Exhibition Hall(1F), booth # G-57
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
